Category: Fairytale reimagined

Review:  Diamond Wishes: An Aladdin Retelling by Abigail Manning 

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Abigail Manning takes well known fairytales from our childhood and gives them her own unique twists and fabulous turns of character and plays on the themes. 

This is one of the “All That Glitters” series and is , as all of her stories are, a no-spice, clean romance. 

Diamond Wishes turns Aladdin into Kya, a female thief with a humorous, snarky parrot companion. 

All That Glitters- 12 books/different authors:

Tainted Beauty by Alesha Adamson

Stolen Magic by Camille Peters

Amphibian’s Kiss by Lichelle Slater

Rapunzel’s Gambit by Mary Mecham

Golden Goose by Lea Doué

Siren’s Treasure by Suzanna Fowers

Rose Crown by Nina Clare

Feathered Thief by J.M. Stengl

Snow Bound by C. J. Brightley

Gilded Locks by Julene Johnson 

Lost Starlight: A Peter Pan Retelling by Kayla Eshbaugh

Diamond Wishes: An Aladdin Retelling by Abigail Manning

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comDiamond Wishes: An Aladdin Retelling eBook : Manning, Abigail: Kindle Store

Blurb 

A mute guard, a chatty parrot, and a diamond ring that could change it all…

Few people have heard the legend of the wondrous wishing diamond, and even fewer have wasted their efforts searching for it. Kya couldn’t care less about jewels unless they can sell for enough money to feed her and her mouthy parrot. Her chronic fainting spells make it impossible to hold down a real job, and difficult to escape the guards when a charming stranger interrupts her heist.

Caught and caged, Kya admits defeat as she wastes away in the palace prison. Not even befriending a royal guard can get her out of her chains, but a deal with a smooth-talking nobleman might… It would seem that the boy from the market isn’t the only person on a diamond hunt.

If anyone can find a diamond ring in a cave full of treasures, it’s a jewel thief, but that doesn’t mean she knows how to use it. Wishes gone wrong and a power struggle between royals quickly trap Kya once again, but this time as a fake princess. Even a counterfeit diamond can sparkle, but can it fool a treasure hunter? Life as a royal sure does have a nice ring to it—if you can live long enough to wish for a crown.

Diamond Wishes is a standalone, no-spice, fairy retelling and is a part of the series “All That Glitters.” A collection of 12 treasure-themed fairy tale retellings full of adventure, romance, and glittering gold.

  • Publication date: July 19, 2025
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 208 pages
  • Part of series: All That Glitters

More Twists on Fairytales 

The Emerald Realm :

Poisoned Heart: A Retelling of Snow White 

Bearly Free: A Retelling of Goldilocks Framed in Florals: A Retelling of Cinderella 

Stolen Crown: A Retelling of Thumbelina 

Towering Future: A Retelling of Rapunzel 

The Ruby Realm series:

Crimson Claws: A Retelling of Little Red Riding Hood 

Wilting Captive: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast 

Sole of Secrets: A Retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses 

Insomniac’s Curse: A Retelling of Sleeping Beauty 

Forged Gold: A Retelling of Rumpelstiltskin 

Once Upon A Rhyme series:

The Itsy Bitsy Liar 

Little Bo Sneak 

Hush A Bye Lady 

Do You Know the Muffin Scam? 

Baa Baa Black Market 

Twinkle Twinkle Little Scars 

The Fairmyth Chronicles

The Soulless Slipper: A Retelling of Persephone and Cinderella The Serpent’s Tower: A Retelling of Medusa and Rapunzel 

The Beast’s Labyrinth: A Retelling of Beauty & the Beast and The Minotaur The Dozen Damsels: A Retelling of The 12 Dancing Princesses & The 12 Labors of Hercules 

Short Story Collections 

The Crystal Realm: A Collection of Retold Christmas Tales 

The Rose Realm: A Collection of Retold Flower Tales 

The Shadow Realm: A Collection of Retold Halloween Tales 

The Feather Realm: A Collection of Retold Bird Tales 

Fit For A Crown 

Fit For A Prince 

Standalone Novellas 

To Shatter A Slipper: A Retelling of Cinderella 

Charlotte and the Cozy Cottage: A Retelling of Rumpelstiltskin 

The Snowy Footprints: A Retelling of The Elves and the Shoemaker Diamond Wishes: A Retelling of Aladdin

Review:  Little Bo Sneak (Once Upon A Rhyme, #2) by Abigail Manning 

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Abigail Manning continues her excellent fantasy series with Little Bo Sneak, a tweak of an old classic nursery rhyme with a touch of an undercover spy thriller combined with a fairytale storyline. 

It works surprisingly well. Especially as it continues from the first tale, and reveals a new overall series thread that’s concerned with magic stones and sinister black markets within the Kingdom to obtain them.

It started with the first novel and how Lucy’s father was framed for the theft of several of important magical stones. And then she was subsequently cursed by one. That was  The Itsy Bitsy Liar. 

In Little Bo Sneak, Lady “Evie”Genevieve Rayelle Palleep, Lucy’s mistress and friend, is the main character here.  She’s also a very good spy. 

When some dangerous magical cloaks need to be traced and the culprits identified, Evie’s handlers decide she needs a partner. 

It’s a romantic thriller,a magical romp, and an all-around heroine to the rescue in another fabulous nursery rhyme tweaked for a new trope and grand adventure. 

I can’t recommend this and the series enough. Inventive, characters with depth and humor, and dialogue that conveys emotions and intelligence. 

Adore it.  And each story is interwoven into the next.

Beautiful lush covers are everything! Here’s another in a fabulous line of them. Each is from an important scene in the book. 

 Cover design by Karri Klawitter

Once Upon a Rhythm:

The Itsy Bitsy Liar #1

Little Bo Sneak #2

Hush A Bye Lady #3

Do You Know The Muffin Scam? #4

Baa Baa Black Market #5

Twinkle Twinkle Little Scars #6 – Sept 26,2025

Buy link:

        Little Bo Sneak (Once Upon A Rhyme)

    

Blurb 

What if Little Bo Peep, had a skill for catching crooks?

Lady Genevieve Rayelle Palleep loves to point out what no one else notices, which makes it a tad difficult to get along with most suitors. While tracking down details may not be beneficial for her life as a lady, it certainly has uses in her more secretive life. Since being recruited as a crown agent as a child, Evie’s talents have never failed to hunt down black market goods, runaway convicts, or anything else one could imagine… That is, until her next mission bears an interesting request.

When eight magic-fused wool cloaks go missing from the black market, the agency doesn’t feel that Evie can handle the task alone. Much to Evie’s regret, she’s assigned her very first partner, an obnoxiously attractive agent by the name of Shepherd. He wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t have to go undercover as courting lovers… or if he wasn’t so perfect.

With her new partner in tow, and a mysterious stack of cloaks ready to be found, Evie is determined to prove she never needed Shep’s help from the start. She’s worked too hard to let another man drag her around like a wandering sheep. Will Evie be able to track down the missing wools? Or will her distrust of her partner leave them both lost?

Once Upon A Rhyme is a collection of clean, intercepting stories, best enjoyed when read as a series.

  • Publication date: July 11, 2023
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 339 pages
  • Book 2 of 6: Once Upon A Rhyme